Women-only bus service to be launched soon in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A women-only bus service will be soon launched in the city, officials said on Tuesday.

Zakat, Usher, Social Welfare and Women Development Department Secretary Shah Sahib told Daily Times that if the programme went without problems, women-only buses would be on the roads within two to three weeks. “Most of the government departments have agreed to the proposal meant to facilitate the women of the city who are facing problems in public transport,” he said.

A meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the proposal at the Social Welfare Directorate, which was attended by the officials from traffic police, district government and transport department to discuss earlier implementation of the project.

Public-private partnership: Shah said that the service would be launched under public-private partnership while the government would oversee the process. He said that the bus service was a part of the chief minister’s reforms programme that he had announced after taking oath of office. “The programme will be launched under the city district government and the rest of the government agencies will facilities the process,” he said, adding that the service would especially benefit working women and female students.

Those at the meeting directed police officials to ensure that men did not occupy seats reserved for women on public transport. The meeting also decided that the new bus service would be different from the current one and would be overseen by women. The drivers would be male, but the conductors would be females and identified by a uniform. The buses would be air-conditioned.

The bus service will aim to be punctual, and on time, unlike the current bus system. It was also agreed that no vehicle would be older than five years and must be certified by motor vehicle examiner (MVE) for road-worthiness. Shah said that transporters could enlist their vehicles for the service and the government encouraged them in this respect. He said that the number of the buses had not been fixed and it would be according to demand. Some transport companies were also interested in running women-only bus service in the city and they were studying its profitability, he added.
Source: Daily Times
Date:12/14/2008